In the wake of reports that Apple is poised to sign an iPhone deal with China Telecom, the third largest carrier in China behind China Unicom and China Mobile, analyst Brian White of Ticonderoga Securities issued a note to investors writing that such a deal may potentially increase Apple’s bottom line by upwards of $9 billion.

In arriving at the impressive figure, White write that of the 106 million China Telecom subscribers (which is about on par with the number of Verizon customers), about 13-15 million of those folks would be considered high-end subscribers likely to purchase an iPhone – hence, the potential for an extra 8 or 9 billion in 2012.

More broadly speaking, it’s no secret that Apple has its eyes on China on the whole and should Apple strike a deal with China Mobile and its 600 million strong subscriber base, White anticipates that China could end up being a $70 billion opportunity for Apple.

“We continue to view the ramp of China’s mobile Internet as one of the most exciting investment areas in the tech world over the next decade,” White explained.

With the potential to add another 706 million new subscribers before the end of 2012, we tend to agree.